Group Hopes To Postpone Beginning Of Sex Education

RICHMOND — A Northern Virginia senator wants to extend for a year the deadline for public schools to begin sex-education classes, but says his proposal has little chance of becoming law.

Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William, said he might ask that school divisions having trouble meeting the September 1989 deadline be given more time. Manassas officials told Colgan "they'd be under the gun" to finish developing a curriculum by this fall, he said.

About 40 members of two groups opposed to the state sex-educuation plan, both based in Prince William, attended Thursday's meeting of the state Board of Education and the House and Senate education committees. They wore bright yellow tags on their lapels that read: "How do you spell relief? P-O-S-T-P-O-N-E family life education."

The state-written family life education program emphasizes abstinence in an effort to reduce teen-age pregnancies, but also covers family responsibilities, decision-making, self-esteem, resisting peer pressure and respecting others. Lessons will include male and female reproductive systems, infant care, the changes of puberty, contraceptives, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction S. John Davis said he respects parents opposed to any statewide program, "but that's why we included the opt-out provision." Under that exemption, parents have the option of removing their children from any lesson they find offensive.

"Going back and delaying or killing the whole program will be a mistake," he said.

Colgan said chances are slim that his yet-to-be-filed bill would make it out of the Senate Education and Health Committee, but he predicted it would pass if it did get to the floor.

Several delegates said they also might introduce a bill to delay sex-education classes.

Likewise, Ed Wilbourn of the Citizens Alert Team said little will probably be accomplished in Richmond this session "because the deck is stacked against us," but the groups want to "hit the ballot box this fall."

Virginians will elect a new governor and all 100 state delegates in November.

Wilbourn claims that local committees charged with developing sex-education programs have been both deaf and unfair. His group is suing Prince William school officials because they allegedly added back controversial lessons on homosexuality, masturbation and contraceptives after a citizens advisory group voted to delete them.

Jebbie Crowe, who heads the team overseeing Newport News' program, said that once sex-education classes began in the fall of 1987, the controversy ended. "You can tell parents wanted it because only 10 or 12 out of 3,000 sixth- and seventh-graders opted out," she said.

The legislators also talked about delaying another state mandate: the hiring of elementary guidance counselors.

"Some localities are saying they can't afford it, but neither can our students afford to wait any longer," Superintendent Davis said.

The education board learned Thursday that 44 percent of the required number of elementary guidance counselors, or 462.5 positions, have been hired. Statewide, another 602 must be added to division payrolls by September to meet the mandate.

On the Peninsula, only 18 of the required 81.5 positions have been filled. Another 63.5 slots must be filled by the the fall.

Sen. Stanley C. Walker, D-Norfolk, spearheaded the legislative effort three years ago to require elementary guidance counselors. State educators agreed that the program could reach troubled students at an earlier age and that prevention was less costly than remediation.

"If there ever was a time to speed up this program, it's now when dropouts and other teen problems are worrying everyone," Walker told the board Thursday. "I hope the program survives this scrutiny without losing its pace."